How To Make Liquid Starch Slime for Kids Science Activities

Kids love slime! This homemade liquid starch slime will have you playing with slime in no time. I love how quick, easy, and instant this slime recipe is to make. It has an amazing consistency and is ready in less than 5 minutes. Be a slime superhero when you make this slime with your kids. Great for large groups too. Making homemade slime recipes is our passion!

BEST LIQUID STARCH SLIME RECIPE FOR KIDS!

Liquid starch slime is one of our favorite sensory play recipes! We make it ALL the time because it is so quick and easy to whip up. 3 simple ingredients {one is water} are all you need. Add color, glitter, sequins, and more!

HOST A SLIME MAKING PARTY AT HOME OR SCHOOL!

I always thought slime was too difficult to make, but then I tried it! Now we are hooked on it. Grab some liquid starch and glue and get started! We have even made it with a small group of kids for a science party! This is also a great recipe to use for classrooms!

SLIME SAFETY NOTE

*Safety Disclaimer: Any science experiment has potential risks including making slime. Please use your own best judgment. Please read more of our liability and safety disclaimer here*

Making slime is a chemistry experiment and a fun one too. However, like any cool science experiments, they should be done with adult supervision. Adults should measure and handle all chemicals used when making slime.

Also, slime activities should be properly cleaned up afterward. Disinfect surfaces, mixing tools, and containers when you are finished with your slime experiment.

Wash hands thoroughly after playing with slime.

Do not switch out ingredients if not listed. Many slimes contain borax or a form of borax, even liquid starch which contains sodium borate.

We have never had any reactions to this slime recipe, but you must decide what is best for your kids and your situation.

SLIME SCIENCE

We always like to include a bit of homemade slime science around here! Slime is an excellent chemistry demonstration and kids love it too! Mixtures, substances, polymers, cross-linking, states of matter, elasticity, and viscosity are just a few of the science concepts that can be explored with homemade slime!

What’s slime science all about? The borate ions in the slime activators (sodium borate, borax powder, or boric acid) mix with the PVA (polyvinyl acetate) glue and forms this cool stretchy substance. This is called cross-linking!

The glue is a polymer and is made up of long, repeating, and identical strands or molecules. These molecules with flow past one another keeping the glue in a liquid state. Until…

You add the borate ions to the mixture, and it then starts to connect these long strands together. They begin to tangle and mix until the substance is less like the liquid you started with and thicker and rubbery like slime! Slime is a polymer.

Picture the difference between wet spaghetti and leftover spaghetti the next day. As the slime forms, the tangled molecule strands are much like the clump of spaghetti!

Is slime a liquid or solid?

We call it a Non-Newtonian fluid because it’s a little bit of both! Experiment with making the slime more or less viscous with varying amounts of foam beads. Can you change the density?

Did you know that slime aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)?

It does and you can use slime making to explore states of matter and its interactions. Find out more below…

HOW DO YOU STORE SLIME?

Slime lasts quite a while! I get a lot of questions regarding how I store my slime. We use reusable containers in either plastic or glass. Make sure to keep your slime clean and it will last for several weeks. I love the deli-style containers I have listed in my recommended slime supplies list.

If you want to send kids home with a bit of slime from a camp, party, or classroom project, I would suggest packages of reusable containers from the dollar store or grocery store or even Amazon. For large groups, we have used condiment containers and labels as seen here.

We have the best resources to look through before, during, and after making your (KEYWORD) slime! Make sure to go back and read the slime science above too!

No more having to print out a WHOLE blog post for just one recipe!

Get our basic slime recipes in an easy to print format so you can knock out the activities!

We pick up our liquid starch in the grocery store! Check the laundry detergent aisle and look for the bottles marked starch. Ours is Linit Starch (brand). You might also see Sta-Flo as a popular option. You can also find it on Amazon, Walmart, Target, and even craft stores.

“But what if I don’t have liquid starch available to me?”

This is a pretty common question from those who live out of the United States, and we do have some alternatives to share with you. Click on the link below to see if any of these will work! Our saline solution slime recipe also works well for Canadian and UK readers.

SIMPLE LIQUID STARCH SLIME RECIPE

Read the instructions below the photos and watch the live, start to finish video of me making this AWESOME slime recipe.

LIQUID STARCH SLIME STEPS

STEP 1: In a bowl mix 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup of glue (mix well to combine completely).

STEP 2: Now’s the time to add color, glitter, or confetti! Remember when you add color to white glue, the color will be lighter. Use clear glue for jewel toned colors!

You can never add too much glitter! Mix the glitter and color into the glue and water mixture.

STEP 3: Pour in 1/4 cup of liquid starch. You will see the slime immediately start to form. Keep stirring until you have a gooey blob of slime. The liquid should be gone! If you have Sta-Flo brand liquid starch you may need more starch! All brands are different. We use Lin-it brand.

STEP 4: Start kneading your slime! It will appear stringy at first but just work it around with your hands and you will notice the consistency changes. You can also put it in a clean container and set it aside for 3 minutes, and you will also notice the change in consistency!

No more having to print out a WHOLE blog post for just one recipe!

Get our basic slime recipes in an easy to print format so you can knock out the activities!

You can substitute contact solution in lieu of borax if you have trouble finding it. It contains boric acid and works. I mix in a little (like 1 t to 4oz clear glue) baking SODA first then squirt in a little contact solution at a time. When it’s only slightly sticky let it rest for a bit then add more if still sticky. Knead well throughout.

About how much does one recipe make?? I’m thinking this would be awesome for valentines gifts. My kiddo’s class has strict allergy rules for snacks, so I’m trying to think outside the food world. Thanks!

What type liquid starch do you use? I tried making this with homemade liquid starch and it totally didn’t work – apparently the trick is in one of the chemical components. I can buy liquid starch here (Bulgaria), but apparently there are a few types that are quite different in terms of ingredients. Thanks!

Ours turned out super sticky. Is that how it’s supposed to be or did we do something wrong. The only way to get it off our fingers is to wash them with warm water. We used the same liquid starch but CraZArt washable school glues vs Elmer’s.

I am thinking about making slime as an activity in my kindergartener’s class. Do you think I could mix the water and glue the night before and let the kids mix in the glitter/starch themselves the following day? Or will it not turn out right if the glue/water mixture sits overnight?

I have mixed the water and glue the night before but left in a large tub so I can shake up before pouring it into a small cup. It worked fine. I did notice on a following day (I teach a science elementary lab) that it was runny. I believe my starch amount is off. I tried less starch since it seemed so much was left in the bowl but now think not enough starch ( equal parts to the water/glue) is the reason. Any thoughts?

It should definitely be equal parts or just there about. I don’t know possibly if temperature or altitude might have an affect. Did you remove it to a dry container? Did you use Elmers Glue? Starch well shaken? I would love for you to try the recipe on the spot and see what happens.

I did this with our 3 year olds today and for convenience I mixed the water and glue in a water bottle for easy transport. I prepped everything the night before and I’m happy to report it worked just fine. No problem having those two things mixed ahead of time. We loved it. My pumpkin was a little juicier than I expected so I’m going to add a bit more starch to it to see if it will firm up a bit.

I tried making this with my high school science class today. We used a stock solution of 1% starch instead of liquid starch from the store and it turned out looking like.. melted milkshakes! Any advice for us?

we just mixed up 3 batches of this at the same time, but all 3 are still complete liquid and runny, im assuming this isn’t how it should be. there would be no way to even mix by hand at this point. I used dollar tree glue, and im guessing this must be why. any suggestions to fix it? ive got 3 little valentines party goers here that are going to be really sad

This is perfect! We are starting the unit on states of mayer for science in my 4th grade class. Our textbook had directions on how to makes slime using borax. I think this will be perfect to make as well so my students can compare and decide which type of slime they think is better. Thank you for sharing!

Our only suggestion is that you do not get it on clothing. Have children wear smocks or old shirts you don’t mind getting stained or gooey. Although the glue will wash out I’m not 100% certain the coloring will.

We made some slime today and my kids loved it – it turned out great! I’d like to make a larger portion – 5x to be exact! – for a birthday party activity/favor. Could I use 5x the ingredients in a big bowl, or would it be better to do it in 5 separate bowls? I’m also planning on letting them mix in sequins after it’s made and I was thinking about glitter – do you think that would mix in well after the fact? I’d try it out, but we don’t have any.

I want to make this clear goo for Halloween for my daughter’s class. I see that the recipe calls for white glue but the picture shows clear. Do I need the clear in order to make the clear goo (I assume?). Also, can you find the liquid starch at the grocery store?

Love the looks of it, will practice and try for upcoming birthday party. Can you elaborate on the pros/cons of these ingredient options — borax v. liquid starch, and clear v. white glue? Are the ultra-vivid color and glitter versions achieved with just a drop of regular food coloring, or…? Thank you — gathering supplies soon!

I prefer the liquid starch because I find it a bit quicker to make. I don’t think there is a real pro or con one way or another except my measuring spoons are always missing. Borax is also great for making our crystal activities. The clear glue is of course translucent and you do not need all that much food coloring to get vivid colors. The white glue is great too but you would have to add a ton go food coloring to get a more vivid color. Our rainbow slime uses the clear glue. Our Easter slime uses the white glue. Our 4th of July slime and candy cane slime uses both if you want to check out all the differences.

I’ve read through all of the comments, and it appears that this recipe is VERY specific to the ingredients in these particular products. I used the clear elmer’s glue, but I used Niagra brand non-aerosol spray starch. I thought this was just the same type of liquid starch but with a spray bottle top on it. Apparently I was mistaken, as this did not work out at all. My slime is still totally liquid. I even tried adding more glue, as I noticed that was the only difference in your flubber recipe, but still nothing. I’m going to try airing it out a bit in a baking pan or something where it will have a lot of surface contact with the air, but based on the previous comments, I’m really not feeling very hopeful. Live and learn 🙁

I am having the same problem right now lol! I wanted to surprise my daughter, and the only liquid starch in the store was this Niagara non-aerosol spray starch. It’s liquid starch in a spray bottle as opposed to an aerosol can, so I thought it was the same. But it’s not working – completely watery. Oh well. Back to the store I go lol.

Much like others on this thread I used white washable glue and made liquid starch using powder laundry starch found in the detergent aisle. The result was a liquid which formed into nothing. To help your readers I think it would be helpful if you mentioned that the recipe only works with CLEAR washable glue and not white (as is listed in the ingredients), and that liquid starch as the one you use is necessary. Alternatively you might want to give some info on substitutions. This will greatly help readers who need to substitute.

Works fine with White Elmers washable glue. We use it all the time. Yes the liquid starch is necessary. This is just one recipe out there but is specific to these ingredients as if you were baking something

Hi, I used Elmer’s classic glitter glue instead of the clear. Its a little chunky and make my hands a little sticky after use. Is all of the slime going to be like that or is it because of the glitter glue?

If it has formed a slime mass at all, take it out and discard excess liquid and put in clean dry container and see if that makes a difference. Otherwise it may be a bad batch of glue. Double check that you have the right brand of glue too.

The laundry starch slime has been a big hit. We had a failure at first (which resulted in a hand drawn Observations Notebook , so no loss there). SO, check your laundry starch. Mine was CONCENTRATED. After thinning it down to medium strength, we got slime that is firm and stretchy. BONUS: when pushed into a container, our slime makes loud gassy noises. Fun!

Hi! I am planning on doing your “inside out” intervention with my counseling kids- I was wondering when you added the food coloring, since in your instructions on this page, its the second step… but Im assuming that you needed to separate the different “colors” first?? Does that make any sense? Maybe if you could just quickly give me the new basic directions for how you do this for multiple different colors. Thanks so much!!

I would go with about three servings per bottle of glue! If you scroll down through the post you will see the directions and ingredients. If you are on mobile make sure to click the READ MORE button under the first image.

If you are on desktop you simple need to keep scrolling down to the supply list and step by step instructions. If you are on mobile you need to press the READ MORE button to see the rest of the post. Please email me at getmovingfitn[email protected] if you have problems.

Hello. I just made one and it worked just fine. I am doing this for your melted snowman theme. It came out more like noise putty and not stretchy/melting snowman like. What should I add? Water? Glue? Starch? Thanks!

The biggest thing is the right type of glue. Elmers washable glue. However, every now and then I have gotten an Elmers that has not worked for me. Definitely try it again and double check the measurements.

I wanted to try this for class party but have each child make their own batch…you said recipe would work for 3 servings. Can I cut the recipe into thirds to make individual portions? Or do you have measurements for a single portion?

You can make a single batch and pull apart the slime. That’s how I go about making my slime party favors. If you take a look at our newest Valentines Day slime, I made two batches to fill 10 condiment cups.

I followed the recipe exactly as printed. Stayed liquid even after hours of waiting. Big disappointment for my grandson and me. I searched other recipes and they said you must use HOT water. Maybe you could add this to your recipe so others aren’t disappointed.

Make sure you use the right glue! Every once in awhile, I come across an Elmer’s glue that is a flop. I don’t why this is but I can pull out another bottle and it comes together perfectly. Hope you will try it again.

Hi! I should have read thru the comments before attempting on making our version today :'(. Used Bovax clear glue and self made liquid starch (cornstarch + water + heat). Safe to say, it didn’t work. Was very liquidy, so i kept adding in ingredients (measurements now are completely whacked!). Lol. Our slime turned out super sticky. I’ve made such a big batch it’s now in a plastic container sitting in or fridge. Should I just dump it? :p

Yes, I am not sure there is anything you can do to make it come out any better at this point. I have been there. If you can get the Elmers washable school glue that would be the best as well as liquid laundry starch. You are welcome to email me at [email protected] and I can make some other suggestions depending on what part of the world you are in and what supplies you have available!

I am sorry to hear that. There are times when a bottle of Elmer’s has failed us for no specific reason. I would try again if you can. I have many many viewers who love this recipe, so I would hate for you to miss out on the fun.

Tell me more about what happened? Did you you find liquid starch in the laundry aisle? Did you use the Elmer’s Washable School Glue. On very rare occasion I have had an issue with a bad bottle of glue and the slime simply didn’t form. This has been very rare in my years of slime making. I would be happy to go through it with you if you would like to email me at [email protected]. I have used this recipe for kids parties, gifts, and countless times of our own slime making activities and it should be quite easy to do!

This is the best and easiest recipe ever. Just don’t quit kneading it once you mix in the liquid starch because the stickiness goes away. Really stretchy. I used half a cup of white school glue mixed really well with half a cup of tap water then when we added 1/4 cup of Sta-Flo liquid starch it really started coming together rather quick. Great recipe. Thanks a bunch.

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